Eagle
Eagle (real name Tipyeléhne, also known in the comics as Black Eagle) is a character first mentioned since Killer Instinct (1994) before making his playable debut in post-Season Three of Killer Instinct (2013). He is the younger brother of Thunder, while in the comics, he is the older brother. He was kidnapped by Ultratech and used as the basis for their cyborg soldier Fulgore (or the Fulgore Mk. III in the rebooted universe), until he was released from his confinement by Glacius. Eagle's teaser trailer, revealing him as the last new character to be added during Season Three, was first shown at the Combo Breaker tournament 2017. He is set to be officially released in June of 2017. Biography Appearance Eagle remained one of the few characters mentioned in the original Killer Instinct who had yet to make an in-game appearance in any of the series' titles, his likeness only ever seen in the KI comics. In some of the comics, he was shown to have long, black hair, but in others, he is bald. He wears a headband (with feathers in appearances where he is bald) and armbands. He is shown holding a bow in one piece of artwork. Eagle's 2017 teaser trailer marks the character's first official appearance in a Killer Instinct game. It shows him as a fast-paced Nez Percé archer or huntsman who wields a futuristic-looking bow and a whip-like weapon, is accompanied by what appears to be a robotic bird of prey and who is wearing some kind of bionics suit. Eagle also features strange, glowing glyphs on much of his body which are reminiscent of those seen on Glacius, the extraterrestrial being who released him from Ultratech's captivity. It is presently unknown whether Eagle's strange equipment and body modifications are due to experimentation done by Ultratech, or if they represent highly advanced alien technology Glacius has entrusted to his Earthling protégé. Personality To be added... Abilities A gifted amateur fighter in his own right, Eagle is skilled in both boxing and wrestling, compared to his mountain of an older brother who became a football star. Devoted in his training to become the ultimate fighter and protect the ones he loves, his skills earned him a spot with the underground spy agency, the Disavowed, who later sent him to infiltrate the first Killer Instinct tournament. His fighting prowess and intellect were unique enough to gain the full attention of Ultratech CEO ARIA, who had him captured and used as the basis for their ruthless cyborg soldier, Fulgore. Killer Instinct (1994) Story Like his brother Thunder, Eagle was a skilled warrior. He had entered a previous Killer Instinct tournament and won, using his newfound fame to publicly protest the evils of Ultratech. Unfortunately, this protest was short-lived, as Eagle mysteriously vanished shortly afterwards. Eagle was converted into the first in a line of cyborg soldiers known as the Fulgores, and was sent to participate in the upcoming Killer Instinct tournament. Coincidentally, Thunder entered the same tournament in order to discover the fate of his brother. He did not win the tournament, but he succeeded in finding out that Eagle had seemingly "perished" at the hands of Ultratech. Thunder was initially very upset by this, and spent a long deal of time mourning during the events of Killer Instinct 2. Meanwhile, Eagle as Fulgore had been heavily damaged during his fight with Jago and he was retired. It is unknown if the new Fulgore model present in Killer Instinct 2 was Eagle or not. Curiously, in Thunder's ending in the first Killer Instinct, a ghastly image of Spinal is shown rising from Eagle's grave upon mention. It may very well be that Spinal was either originally intended to be an undead Eagle, or was there as a placeholder, or more likely that he had something to do with his disappearance. Killer Instinct (2013) Story In the alternate rebooted universe, Eagle was a member of Disavowed who worked closely with Orchid to fight against Ultratech. Thunder witnessed his brothers' capture and attacked ARIA in a fit of rage, but he was subdued and Eagle was brought back to Ultratech headquarters. There he was utilized as the "human element" in a prototype for the Fulgore Mk. III, being brainwashed and converted into a brand new cyborg soldier. This Fulgore Mk. III is the one controlled by the player in Arcade Mode. After Thunder came to terms with his brother's mysterious kidnapping and apparent death, he begrudgingly struck an accord with ARIA to serve Ultratech in exchange for recovering Eagle’s remains. However, while Thunder was going about this ordeal, Orchid revealed to him that Eagle was, in fact, not quite dead. Unfortunately, he was no longer himself, as Ultratech had brainwashed him and made him into the cyborg Fulgore Mk. III. From this point on, Thunder broke his deal with ARIA and began to hunt down all the Fulgores he could in search of the one that was Eagle. Extended story To be added... Novella Chapter 5 — ARIA for Noömorph: Shadow Lords To be added... Moveset To be added... Music Eagle's theme is composed by the KI 2013 Season 3 composers, Celldweller and Atlas Plug. More information to come... Quotes Gallery Killer Instinct (Comics) 1831209-black eagle killer instinct special 3.jpg|Eagle participating in a tournament KIComics_Eagle.jpg Killer Instinct (2013) KI2013FulgoreEagle.png|Eagle in Aganos' Story Mode, as a teaser silhouette Killer Instinct Novella AriaChptr5.jpg|Eagle in ARIA for Noömorph Trivia * Josiah Pinkham, one of the Nez Percé consultants for Killer Instinct (2013) who provided advice for reimagining Thunder/Hinmatoom's design as culturally authentic, is interestingly named "Tipyeléhne Cimuuxcimux", translated as "Black Eagle", which was the character's codename in the original KI comics. ** The same real-life Nez Perce members who previously advised Iron Galaxy on Thunder's design were also consulted for Eagle's design, personality and mannerisms, presumably around the same time the developers at IG were creating Thunder's newly culturally-authentic Legend of Thunder costume (which was released for free in December of 2016). * Eagle's addition to the KI 2013 character roster was teased long before his official announcement: ** First, in Thunder's third ending in Season One's Arcade Mode, there is a character silhouette in the sky that is supposed to represent Eagle, although Thunder's retro (biker) costume was used as a placeholder instead (minus the tomahawks.). **Second, in Aganos' storyline during Season Two's Rivals Mode, Thunder's biker costume was once again used as a placeholder for Eagle during a cutscene. *Eagle's original fate in the KI lore, where he was forcefully converted by Ultratech into the cyborg killing machine called Fulgore, seems to have been inspired by the fate of officer Alex J. Murphy in Paul Verhoeven's 1987 cult classic film Robocop. **In the KI comics, Eagle was shown with a bald head while still in his Fulgore chassis as he was rescued by Thunder, in a direct reference to the face reveal scene from Robocop. **Eagle's fate was slightly retconned for KI 2013, where his brain patterns were copied to serve as the basis for the Fulgore mark 03's AI, rather than Eagle himself having been converted into the cyborg fighter. * In the 5th chapter of the Killer Instinct Novella, titled "ARIA for Noömorph", it is mentioned that ARIA deems Eagle's appearance as aesthetic, with the AI characterizing him as handsome by "human standards". * Eagle is the last character to have a teaser trailer in Season 3 ever since Mira on April 2016. * Eagle will receive a retro costume as well as a "gold skin", but thus far is not scheduled to receive his own Ultimate. External links * Eagle's teaser - First teaser reveal of Eagle for ''Killer Instinct (2013)'' Category:Killer Instinct 2013 Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Good Characters Category:Characters